Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) will host its annual gala on April 16 at the Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, New York, to honor Meira Fleisch, a board member and longtime early learning specialist at WJCS, and Stephanie Marquesano, founder and president of The Harris Project.
“We are thrilled to honor Meira Fleisch and Stephanie Marquesano, two remarkable individuals who have consistently used their outstanding skills and deep compassion to improve the lives and future of children, youth and families,” said WJCS CEO Seth Diamond. “Each of these people are models for how people can make a difference in the Westchester community.”
Fleisch has been a dedicated and invaluable WJCS Board member for eight years. Before joining the board, she worked as an early learning specialist for WJCS’s ParentChild+ program, helping families develop positive parent/toddler interactions, build language skills and strengthen each child’s readiness for school.
In addition to all the positions at WJCS, Fleisch has served in various capacities on UJA-Federation of New York’s Westchester Women’s Cabinet for over 15 years, eventually as vice chair of the Westchester Women’s division.
“As an adult child of Holocaust survivors, who were refugees in Israel and eventually immigrants to the U.S., I find the work of WJCS particularly meaningful, even more so in the current environment of rising antisemitism,” said Fleisch. “I am in awe of the agency’s work, the compassion of its staff and commitment of the board.”
Marquesano launched the “harris project” after her 19-year-old son Harris died by accidental overdose in 2013. Like millions of people, Harris had co-occurring disorders, the combination of both mental health and substance-use challenges. As the nation’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of an integrated system of care from prevention through sustainable recovery, the harris project strives to improve the lives of teens and young adults with, or at risk of developing, co-occurring disorders. The harris project collaborates with WJCS on several fronts, including co-chairing the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health Co-Occurring System of Care Committee, training staff on co-occurring disorders, and launching new services for teens and young adults in Westchester County.
Most recently, a public service campaign created for the harris project, titled “You Don’t Know The Half Of It,” was named the 24th best advertisement in the Ad Age list of “The 40 Best Ads For 2023.” Central to her work is a commitment to saving lives and improving outcomes.
Marquesano received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brooklyn College and her Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law.
Founded in 1943, Westchester Jewish Community Services serves 20,000 people of all ages and backgrounds each year, providing skilled and compassionate support to people facing challenges relating to mental health, trauma, disabilities, aging, LGBTQIA+, or struggling to overcome other significant needs.
The WJCS Gala is the major annual fundraiser of the agency. To learn more and register for the Gala, visit wjcs.com.
